


To Find Peace

by princessofthedeadsheep



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, Ib (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Brother-Sister Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2018-03-30 00:46:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3916936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessofthedeadsheep/pseuds/princessofthedeadsheep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ib and Garry, racked with PTSD, escape to Waffle Island in the hope of easing their symptoms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> I know, another story! Another that I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with. this is going to be a lot of fun, I can tell. At any rate, this is something I think I just needed to write. Let me know if there's anything at all you disagree with, my writing and my accuracy in portrayals can always improve, I'm sure.

“So what brings you to Waffle Island?” Pascal asked as he swiped a wrist across his forehead under his captain’s hat and smiled as he turned to the young man. 

“Peace and quiet,” he responded with a hint of a smile. The young girl who had come with him wasn’t paying any attention, staring out at the sea. 

“Well you can get plenty of that on the Island,” Pascal said with a smile. “Remind me, what were your names again?”

“I’m Garry, and the little one is Ib,” he said, gesturing towards the girl. Ib turned a bit at the sound of her name, but Garry merely ruffled her hair and she returned her attention to the sea.

“I see. Well, you’ll be pleased to know we don’t have many issues on the island. We used to have trouble with the harvest, but we’ve recently been blessed by the Goddess Tree again, and everything is very tranquil now. There are also several children around for Ib to play with.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Garry said politely.

“Oh, if you don’t mind me asking, what are your favorite foods? I ask all the newcomers,” he said with a grin when Garry raised his eyebrow. 

“Ah well, Ib and I are both fond of sweets, right Ib?”

“Macaroons,” she said, finally turning around to look at Pascal. Garry chuckled at her answer.

“Yes, especially macaroons.”

“Well there are plenty of sweets made by some of our favorite cooks. Chase and Yolanda make some of the best dishes you’ll ever taste. Just don’t eat anything Maya’s cooked. Bless the girl’s heart, but she burns everything she touches.” Pascal chuckled, and Garry gave a small smile while Ib looked on somewhat blankly.  The two were a strange pair, Pascal thought, the small serious girl with red eyes and straight brown hair in a pretty blue dress starkly contrasted by the tall man with purple hair with some darker purple streaks towards the top in the shaggy coat and run down trousers. His hair reminded Pascal of Julius, though the clothes weren’t as fashionable as Julius preferred, and the man, strangely enough, spoke more femininely. 

“Is that the island?” Garry asked distracting Pascal from his thoughts. Garry could see an unusual amount of rainbows around the land that had come into the coast line. 

“It is indeed,” Pascal said after he turned to see what Garry was talking about. “I’ll just steer us in and we’ll be there in a couple of minutes.” Silence reigned until they gently collided with the dock, Pascal jumping out to secure the boat before gesturing his two guests off. “Welcome to Waffle Island,” he said, helping Ib get off and Garry to follow. 

Ib didn’t say anything, only grabbed at the side of Garry’s jacket and looked around. There was a man on the beach who looked sort of intimidating, and she thought further back she saw a woman with purple hair a few shades different from Garry’s walk into a store. There was a white cat in front of the fishing store that wasn’t too far off the dock. She started a bit when Garry called her name. He smiled when she turned to him. 

“We have to register with the town hall, so I’m going to take you with okay?” she nodded even as she saw Pascal draw out their luggage behind Garry. She frowned and pointed. Garry looked back and seeming to understand her meaning, explained. “Ah, that’s part of his job, to make sure nothing is lost. We’ll take those to the inn when we’re done.”

“I’ll have them taken to the inn, don’t you worry your mind about it.” Pascal smiled. “Go on and head to the town hall. It’s the building at the top of the stairs that way,” he pointed towards the other stores. “Can’t miss it.” Garry nodded and gave his thanks. The two headed towards the town hall, ignoring all the strange looks they gathered, despite the few that were around. They entered the large building and were immediately greeted by a young brown-haired woman behind a cash register. 

“Oh, you must be the new comers! I’ll go get the mayor.” The woman dashed off for no more than a few seconds and returned with a pudgy man with strange, pointed hair. Briefly Garry wondered how much hair gel the man needed to keep his hair like that. He could feel Ib move a little closer to him and he placed a hand on her small shoulder. 

“Hello, you must be Ib and Garry. I’m so pleased to see you both. May I ask how long you plan to stay on the island?” The man asked.

“We don’t know. Indefinitely at this point,” Garry shrugged his shoulders and gave a smile to the man in front of him even as he squeezed Ib’s shoulder. 

“Well we’ll get you settled at the Sundae Inn! Selena is the only other guest there right now. We don’t get a whole lot of them at once.” He said with a sad smile.

“That’s fine,” Garry said with a shrug. _That’s why we came here_ , he thought but didn’t say.

“There are all sorts of things that you can do on the island. You can fish, mine, farm, ranch... well you’d have to stay to farm and ranch permanently, but if you’re interested the families around here would be happy to have some extra help.” He said as they followed him back out of the Town Hall. Both Ib and Garry briefly wondered what the point of going there had been, but Garry forced himself to listen to the man and Ib found her attention wavering between him and her surroundings. 

It was very peaceful in this town, compared to the city they had come from. It was quiet, and the breeze was strong but pleasant. It smelled of flowers but did not remind them of roses. The people looked on with curiosity, but there were so few that it almost didn’t matter. Almost. It reminded Ib of some of the paintings which watched but didn’t attack, out of reach but still a threat. Or worse- the windows.  _ Someone was on the other side of the window. There were people behind the windows, looking at her with wide eyes- _

“Ib?” Garry was suddenly kneeling next to her and she realized that she was shaking and her breath was coming in fierce little pants. “Hey Ib, it’s alright, breath with me,” and he was breathing with her, and she put a hand on his heart, which was beating far more calmly than hers. It took her a few moments to calm down even a little bit and she threw herself into Garry’s arms. It only took a little bit longer now that she couldn’t see the people behind the windows for her body to calm down completely. She didn’t leave Garry’s arms. Garry turned towards the man. “Mayor Hamilton, as grateful as I am for the tour, I believe that Ib and I should get settled in our room at the Inn.”

“Of course, of course,” the Mayor said, trying to restrain both his sympathy and curiosity. “Right this way.” He led the two to the Sundae inn and held the door for Garry, who was still holding Ib to his chest. There was a man behind the counter with grey hair talking to a woman with short orange hair standing in front of the counter. A pink haired woman spoke to a boy with blondish red hair over at a sink, and a girl with blonde pigtails on either side of her head was scrubbing a table. All looked up with some surprise at the sound of the door opening.  

“Do you think you can walk on your own?” Garry whispered to Ib, who nodded against his chest, though she was reluctant. He placed her gently on the ground, though he didn’t attempt to let go of the hand that held his own in a death grip.

“Welcome to the Sundae Inn.” The woman with short orange hair stepped forward as she spoke, smiling came forward, “I’m Colleen, and my husband Jake and I run this Inn.” She gestured to the man behind the counter who smiled and gave a small wave of greeting. 

“Your luggage arrived not too long ago,” the man gestured to where there bags were, by the stairs. “Do you know how long you’ll be staying?” Garry shook his head.

“As long as we need to,” he said. “Is there a room with two beds available?”

“Indeed there is,” Jake said as he worked at the register. “Since you don’t know how long you’ll be staying we’ll have you pay by the week. I’ll just require a down payment for this week.” Garry and Jake sorted out price and then Ib and Garry were led upstairs by Colleen, who told them meals would be included with the price of their stay. They settled themselves into their room in silence, with only the occasional sound of movement. When they were done, Ib curled up on her bed, and Garry sat by her, stroking her hair. She curled towards him, and they sat that way for a little while, enjoying the silence and the bits of peace it brought. 

“We’ll find a way to make it work out, Ib.” Garry said quietly. “We’ll find a way to get better here.” Ib said nothing, closed her eyes and moved closer to Garry.


	2. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Garry is going to be doing most of the talking for this story, I've realized. Makes sense, since Ib barely talks at all. Nothing too exciting in this chapter, it's mostly establishing here, a necessary evil. Still,I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next.

“Do you have a phone? Our room doesn’t have one and we need to make a call.” Garry asked Colleen when they finally went back downstairs.

“Oh, I’m afraid that the only phone we have is the one behind the counter, we rarely need to make phone calls around here, so I’m afraid it won’t be very private.” Colleen answered apologetically.

“That’ll do fine, Ma’am,” Garry was quick to reassure her. She led him to the phone and Jake moved out of the way. Garry quickly dialed the number, Ib at his side watching as she clutched the side of his coat, a habit she’d developed. The phone barely rang once before it was picked up. 

“Hello?” A woman’s anxious voice answered. 

“It’s me. I’m calling to say we got here without any problems.” Garry said.

“Oh thank goodness! We knew there wasn’t supposed to be any bad weather or anything but we were worried!” Ib’s mother gave a sigh of relief. “Sweetie, it’s Garry! He says they got there safely!” she called away from the phone before she began to talk to Garry again. “So do you think it’ll help?”

“Yeah, it’s a nice place. Calm, quiet... we should be fine here.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she responded before there was a sound of movement and Ib’s father came on the line. 

“I want to talk to Ib!” he demanded a bit breathlessly. Garry handed the phone to Ib without questioning him.

“Your father,” he said simply. She nodded and placed the phone to her ear... Then proceeded to say nothing. It was a mark of how well her parents knew her that her father guessed this meant she was on the phone. 

“Ib, you there? Are you alright? Do you feel okay?” 

“Yes, father.”

“Garry’s keeping you safe?”

“Yes, father.”

“That’s good. You haven’t forgotten your manners have you?”

“No, mother.”

“Good. Is there anything you think you’re going to need right now?”

“No, mother.”

“You know we’re only a phone call away if you need something.”

“Yes, mother.”

“We only want what’s best for you, Ib.”

“Yes, father.”

“We love you, Ib.”

“I love you, too.” Rather than say goodbye, Ib left it at that and handed the phone back to Garry who looked slightly amused. 

“Me, again,” Garry said as he brought the phone to his ear. “This number is to the Inn, so if you need to get in touch with us in a hurry, it should do. I’m going to buy a phone later so that we won’t have to talk in the lobby all the time.”

“Understandable,” her father said. “Have there been any... incidents since you left?”

“Ib had a bit of an... issue, but it passed and she’s doing better.” Garry said, lowering his voice to avoid the curious ears of the inn’s inhabitants. 

“Alright. Just... take care of her, for us, please.” Her mother sounded desperate and sad, and Garry wished he could make it better. 

“Of course,” was all he said. They gave their goodbyes after that, Garry even coaxing one out of Ib. When they were done, they asked if they could have their dinner then, and were quickly seated near the wall and given menus.

“Hello! I’m Maya. Can I get you anything to drink?” the waitress-the girl with pigtails- asked cheerfully. Garry smiled at her.

“Just water, if you please.” He said while Ib nodded in agreement. She smiled and bustled off. Garry turned towards Ib who was silent as she looked at the menu. 

“So what do you think you’re going to get?” he asked her. She shrugged then turned her crimson eyes to him. She was so tired, he thought, and it showed. People were often so caught up in the unusual color of her eyes they missed the bags that were being developed from fitful sleep. He was better at hiding it- he needed less sleep, and he wasn’t as prone to night terrors or nightmares, though they still plagued him. “Well how about this?” he asked, distracting himself from his thoughts. She looked at the thing he pointed at (which honestly, he had barely looked at beyond seeing it was an item on the menu) and shook her head. Then she pointed towards something else. “Pancakes for dinner, Ib?” Garry teased her, but she only looked up at him determinedly and he laughed. “Alright, alright. But make sure to have a side of fruit, okay?” she nodded and he ran a hand over her hair, an affectionate gesture he’d picked up from their time together.

Maya came by again, dropping off their water glasses and taking their orders. Garry wasn’t entirely sure of what he ordered, he’d just pointed to something else on the menu there was a picture of that looked vaguely appetizing. He and Ib sat in silence, something they were used to, content to observe the place instead. They listened to the sounds of their food being cooked and watched the people around them. 

People came and went but the two were so quiet in their corner that they actually weren’t noticed by the first three people. The first, a girl in very pretty but very strange clothes and bright red hair. Garry guessed she was Selena when he saw her going upstairs. The second had been a girl with bright blond hair tied back in a ponytail, who moved over to speak to Colleen and Jake about something. The third was the mayor himself, who didn’t seem to realize they were downstairs.

The fourth person to enter was the first to notice them. She had short brown hair and matching brown eyes and looked a little tired. There was some dirt on her clothes, but she looked well put together despite it. She was looking around, probably for a place to sit down when she spotted Ib and Garry. 

“Hello, there!” she said with a smile, bounding up to the table they were at. “I’ve never seen you before, are you new to the island?” 

Garry gave her a tentative smile. “Yes, we are. Just got here today. May I ask for a name?” 

“Ah, how rude of me!” impossibly, her smile seemed to go up a few wattages in brightness. “I’m Akari. I’m a farmer, and I live nearby. My husband works at the town hall, but I made him take off today. He has a cold- probably from working too hard, the workaholic.” She shook her head fondly. “We’ve a daughter as well. I’ll have to introduce you- and my, I am being rude today! I haven’t even given you a chance to introduce yourselves!”

“Ah, I’m Garry and this is Ib.” he gestured towards Ib who actually let out a muttered “Pleased to meet you.”

“I’m quite pleased to meet you as well! Will you be staying on the island for long?”

“We don’t know, we’re staying for the foreseeable future at least.”

“Well, I certainly will bring my family around to meet you. I hope you like it here!” Akari smiled and waved before she went over to talk to Hamilton, who greeted her with great cheer.

“Well she was an interesting one,” Garry muttered to Ib, who nodded. Both felt wary, reminded of the way Mary had been- so happy, so talkative, so friendly. They couldn’t act like everyone was like Mary, but still...

Their food arrived shortly after, and the two decided to eat and then retire for the night as the place was quickly filling up with guests of the bar. Ib and Garry went up to their rooms, Ib ignoring most others, clutching to Garry’s side and Garry giving polite nods to the people there. They arrived at their room mentally exhausted, and changed into night clothes. Garry was not surprised when Ib crawled into his bed rather than her own, and simply allowed the comfort of life so nearby. It would help keep the nightmares at bay, he hoped. 

“Good night, Ib,” he whispered, holding her close as she curled into his side.

“Good night, Garry,” she whispered back, barely able to keep her eyes open as she said it. Garry turned the lights out, praying this would be enough.


	3. Strange Characters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry how long this took. Can't believe it was so tough to write, but it was! I'm glad to have something though. The next chapter shouldn't be as long a wait, god willing.

The arrival of two new residents in the small town was of course immediately subject to a great deal of gossip. Those who had seen the two were questioned relentlessly, though their tolerance for such things varied. Hamilton and Pascal were very careful with their words, while Jake, Colleen, and Chase mostly refused to gossip.

“Weren’t very talkative but they seemed friendly enough,” Pascal would say.

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be wonderful guests. A bit jumpy, but it’s quite a change from the city,” Hamilton said whenever he was asked.

Maya, Yolanda, and Elli on the other hand would cheerfully tell anyone who asked everything they’d thought about the two.

“A peculiar pair. Very polite,” Elli remembered, “very quiet, reserved. The little girl kept clutching the young man’s coat. He didn’t let her out of his sight. I didn’t watch them for very long, though.”

“Those eyes! Weirdest color I’ve ever seen.” Maya exclaimed cheerfully, “the little girl has such red eyes. She woke screaming in the night, you know. Father went to check on them and it turned out the little girl was having a nightmare, poor thing. Screaming and screaming I tell you, like someone had attacked her. They both looked really rugged the next morning, you know? Tired, probably didn’t get any sleep after that.”

“Looked like war veterans,” Yolanda said with an air of wisdom. “Like they had just come from the front lines. I’d be careful with those two. Probably came here to get away from something.”

“I almost wish I hadn’t stayed home yesterday,” Gill told Akari as they walked back to their house in the Caramel River District. Their daughter walked between them, clutching one of her parent’s hands in each of her own. 

“Why, so you could gossip with Elli?” Akari teasingly asked him. Gill rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the twitch of his lip. 

“Certainly not,” he replied, “but I’d much rather see such things for myself than rely on gossip. I’d like to make my own conclusions of the two.”

“They seemed friendly,” Akari recalled, “if a little cautious. They reminded me a bit of you when we first met, if you had been more friendly than blunt.”

“Father is very friendly,” Samantha said, looking up at her mother. Akari laughed.

“He tends to be now, but he wasn’t very friendly before.” Akari told her daughter. Gill snorted (though he wouldn’t admit to it if asked) but didn’t disagree with Akari’s answer. 

“I wonder where they’ve been all day,” Akari said. “Maya said they left after eating breakfast this morning and haven’t been back since. No one else seems to have heard from them either.”

“Well if I were them, I’d attempt to get away from all of the gossip. Goodness knows it spreads like fire around here.” Gill huffed disapprovingly. “There are plenty of places they could go to relax. It isn’t our business and we shouldn’t bother them.” Akari gave her husband a fond look.  

“Of course, dear,” she said, “but we’ll keep an eye out. That boy barely looked old enough to buy his own phone.” They arrived at their home then, and Akari cajoled both Gill and Samantha into making sure that all the animals had eaten before they were sent back for the night. 

“Mommy, is that them?” Samantha asked, pointing towards Caramel Falls. There were two figures walking on the path towards town. One a tall figure, the other barely reaching half the height of the first. The sun had already set, leaving the scarce light from lamps and moon to show them. 

“Don’t point, Samantha, it’s rude,” Gill scolded her before looking over at the two figures with interest. It was Akari who called out to them when they stepped out under the lamp close to their house. 

“Garry! Ib! Are you two alright?” she called. The two figures paused and turned in their direction. The light lit up half their faces, and it was such a strange picture they made. The man, iris colored hair and a single dark eye visible, looking wary. His clothes looked a bit torn and ragged, though whether it was style or wear was impossible to determine. The girl’s eyes almost glowed as the light reflected the ruby red of her irises. Her clothes had been changed to a simple white shirt with a black skirt. Half covered in the darkness, the lack of light only accentuated their tiredness. Both had dark circles under their eyes so deep that they looked like they’d been slugged. Weariness and caution was in every look and every angle. Briefly, Gill reflected that they really did look like wounded soldiers. 

“We’re fine,” Ib said, to the surprise of everyone. She even looked like a quiet child, Akari thought, before she nodded. 

“I said I’d introduce you to my husband and daughter, right? Well this is my husband, Gill, he teaches classes at the town hall in the morning, if Ib wishes to attend some time.” Gill gave a polite bow. 

“I’d be happy to have Ib should she wish to attend.” Gill said formally. Garry gave him a smile and a nod, though both looked forced. 

“This is my daughter, Samantha,” Akari continued, pushing her daughter forward a bit. Samantha bowed and gave a quick, “pleased to meet you.” Ib didn’t quite copy her and only bowed, giving no verbal response. Garry glanced at her, but seemed to think that there would be no more words from his companion to them. 

“We really should be going,” he said, “we need to eat something before we sleep. It’s getting so late...”

“Yes, but as long as you follow the path, you’ll get where you need to go.” Gill told him. “There are no real dangers on this island beyond the weather. Even the strays are friendly around here.” Akari giggled at that, though none of the rest had any idea why. 

“Yes,” she agreed, “and there is still plenty of time before you need to worry about the Inn closing for the night. They’re open until one most days.”

“Thank you,” Garry said as he and Ib began to walk again, “we’ll be sure to follow the path.”

“So long as it doesn’t disappear,” Ib murmured so that only Garry heard her. He squeezed her hand as they moved away from the small family. 

“Paths don’t change here like they do in the gallery,” he murmured back. Ib appeared to ignore him, but he knew she’d heard. Behind them, Gill, Akari, and Samantha watched the two with interest. 

“War veterans indeed,” Gill muttered as he ushered Samantha into the house.

Ib and Garry walked back toward the town, hands clutched between them. The sky stretched out above them- endless and deep and  _ real _ \- the ground beneath their feet was solid but changed, rugged and uneven in places, unlike the perfect carpeted floor of the gallery. There was ambient noise, the noise of wind and life that had been absent from the gallery when there hadn’t been creatures around. The oppressive silence smothering every step and turning their voices quiet as they dared not talk loud enough to attract attention. 

“We’re safe,” Garry tried to soothe Ib as they walk into the town center. 

“We’re safe,” Ib repeated, as though she was trying to taste the truth of the words. She sounded no more convinced than he felt. The paranoia never left. The constant threat of the gallery never ceased. It was always there, the fear that a single wrong step would lead to going back, being where they never wanted to be again. Ib sucked in a breath of the fresh air, glad that it was there. There was nothing fresh in the gallery.

“We should probably make an effort to know who’s in the town,” Garry said as they arrived at the Sundae Inn. “It will keep us from being surprised, and well, we need to talk to people.” Garry looked nervously down at Ib, who nodded slowly. 

“Tomorrow,” Ib said, looking up at him with the same brave face she’d used in the gallery. It reminded him of when she’d looked at the portrait in one of the rooms and seen her parents. It hurt. It hurt to think of the moment and it hurt to see that face. He pretended it didn’t, for both their sakes. 

“Tomorrow,” Garry agreed.  _ One step at a time _ , he thought,  _ hour by hour and day by day _ .


	4. Lunch Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses! It took me years to update this. I just didn't try most of the time. Writing has fallen to the wayside, and it frustrated me to try and get back into the rhythm, but I wasn't honestly trying. Just halfheartedly trying. But here, now, is a longer chapter than the others, so enjoy, and I welcome feedback.
> 
> Important: I have gone back and changed a few things to more properly match my research on childhood and teenage PTSD and how that would affect Ib and Garry. It is much harder to write childhood PTSD than I thought it would be because it is vastly different from adult PTSD. Teenage PTSD is a mishmash of the two, which just made it that. Much. Harder. Having to constantly reference a list of child PTSD symptoms is part of the reason this took so long, but the facts are the facts, gosh darn it, and are not to be forgotten or overly ignored.
> 
> I also did a bit of grammar cleanup while I was at it, though I'm sure I still missed things. Grammar is not my forte. Although I didn't touch the author's notes, for historic purposes, I suppose. I am making no promises for the next chapter. Will it happen? Eventually. But when is eventually? I have no idea!

It took far longer than normal for the two to wake, though this was a good thing. They had fallen straight asleep, exhaustion actually aiding them for once. Dreams of the gallery came, but thankfully were not harsh enough to wake them. All-in-all, they might actually have a better day than before, which was good, as the day before had been better than usual in and of itself. They had spent the day away from people, yes, but also away from memories of the gallery. The gallery had no running water, only Mary’s stagnant lake and the vases dotted around. They had relaxed by the falls, the running water a constant reminder of life. 

Ib woke first, curled in her own bed, for once. Normally she ended up creeping into Garry’s bed after a nightmare, or she wouldn’t bother going to her own bed, prepared for the nightmares and night terrors to come. She shifted in her bed, turning to look at Garry’s bed. He was still sleeping, chest rising and falling peacefully. Ib let him sleep, knowing he often took care of her and wanting him to rest now that he had the chance. She crept out of bed, careful to move with the silence she’d had long before she’d gone to the gallery. 

She slipped into a purple lace dress her mother had packed. She didn’t really want to change and risk waking Garry, but this one didn’t rustle quite so much and she’d be dressed faster. She placed her nightclothes carefully inside the laundry basket by the door and let herself out, closing the door with barely a click. 

Making her way towards the stairs, Ib looked around at the other rooms. Some seemed smaller, some seemed bigger, most seemed to be the same design as the one she and Garry shared. She paused at the steps, listening. There were voices below, but they were muted, quiet. It must not have been very late yet, she thought. Once the late afternoon hit things got a little livelier, as even those who didn’t drink had a habit of coming around to talk to their neighbors. She padded down the stairs with the quiet of a cat, appearing behind Colleen and waiting for the woman to notice her. 

It took several minutes, in which Ib did not move a muscle, did not attempt to make herself known. Jake was actually the first to see her, and he brought his wife’s attention to the girl. “Good afternoon, Little Miss Ib, did you want something to eat?” he asked. Ib only nodded, taking the woman’s hand (warm and soft and _ alive _ ) when Colleen reached out to her. 

“Do you feel well rested?” Colleen asked her kindly, and again, Ib nodded. Colleen led Ib to a chair and table near to the kitchen, and Ib sat down gratefully, giving a polite bow to Colleen before she did. “How about some of our tomato rice and tomato juice? We have some fresh!” Ib nodded, brown hair bobbing. The rest of the kitchen was clearly surprised to see her, and she could feel their eyes on her. She tried not to cringe, had to remind herself that this wasn’t the gallery, that these people weren’t the artworks out to get her. Regardless, she found herself shrinking away from them. 

Even before the gallery she had not attracted much attention, had always been quiet and out of the way. She had never liked being the center of attention, had never enjoyed being in the spotlight the way some did. She said nothing, however, as she waited for her food and for Garry to come downstairs. She did not think he would not sleep too much longer- Garry had always been a bit of an insomniac, apparently- and she hoped that he would come down soon. She did not like to be alone, even if she knew she should get used to it. 

In the kitchen area, she heard Yolanda and Chase talking about one of the recipes they were going to try. She watched as they arranged her plate of food and poured her juice, the same color as the doll’s eyes, as her skirt and neckerchief. She still could not look at her bunnies without thinking of the dolls with the red, red eyes. She could not wear her uniform without thinking of being in the gallery, of the way Mary had clutched at her red skirt when she’d come after her...

“Ib,” a voice spoke. She started, her entire body jerking and a small shriek leaving her lips. She looked up to see a boy about her age with dark hair and glasses in a green jacket looking at her. The jacket was perhaps three shades lighter than Mary’s dress had been. She found herself stiffening automatically as she registered this, and he looked at her, curious. “I apologize for startling you. May I sit here?” he asked, voice devoid of anything except formal politeness. 

Ib paused, considered, and nodded. The boy sat in the chair that ran adjacent to her, sitting with the same amount of polite poise that had been drilled into her. This did get her attention, as there were few her age actually willing to continue to be polite out of their parent’s presence. Ib thinks that if this boy is related to a single person in this Inn by blood, she will eat her plate along with her meal. 

“I am Van,” the boy introduced himself, still polite as ever. “I am the son of the local doctor. We live a little down the road outside of the Inn. The first house in the Maple Lake district.” He informed her. She studied him, even as he studied her. They were both quiet as her meal was delivered to her by a smiling Colleen.

“Van, be sure to tell your mother that I want to speak with her when she has the time will you? She hasn’t stopped by in a while.” Colleen said to Van as she put the plate and cup down. Van inclined his head in acknowledgement, which seemed to be a good enough answer for the woman. Colleen headed over to the counter by Jake and left the two alone. Van said nothing as Ib began to eat. 

For ten minutes, the two sat in absolute silence, broken only by Ib’s slow, methodical eating. Despite this, Ib was not as uncomfortable as she expected, and most of the discomfort came from the eyes that were on her even as she ate. Van was not staring so much as he was sharing. Garry has done that as well- though he was not eating with her, or sleeping next to her, his presence was not unwelcome, not an intrusion, but an inclusion, a piece of the overall puzzle. 

Mary had not been content with silence. If she was not speaking, she was humming, she was singing, her feet were tapping, dancing. It was what helped her relax after she had seen the color of his jacket. Nothing about Mary had been quiet, had been polite. Mary had been a whirlwind, a fire of her own creation. Mary had been many things, but quiet had never be one of them. 

“You have not been here before, when we were,” Ib said, her voice still barely audible. She had never enjoyed speaking loudly. Van did not act startled or surprised and only nodded before he spoke. 

“I was not. I do not come in here very often. Normally I hang out by the lake and wait for my mother to make lunch or for Mrs. Candace to do so. I will admit, I wished to meet you.” he told her. There were no lies that she could detect, and she appreciated the honesty, but she had learned there were ways to say the truth and still hide the lie. She was wary, wary of this boy who held the ominous color on his person. 

“Why?” she asked, eyes boring into his with all the grace she could manage while still being intimidating. 

“Curiosity,” he admitted easily. “We do not get many visitors, and fewer still who wish to stay. None, since I have been born. Selena has been here longer than I’ve been alive. No one sees much of you, so you are a mystery. Humans are naturally curious.” He said this all in a matter-of-fact sort of way that intrigued her. Even so, she was not willing to trust. 

“So has your curiosity been satisfied?” she asked, folding her hands in her lap to hide their shaking. She will need to see Garry again, soon. The fear that he was lost again, that they had been separated by the will of Mary and the Gallery was gnawing at her more and more with each moment.  

“It has,” Van gave a small, tentative smile. “My mother wished to invite you to have lunch with us sometime this week. She says you can stop by any day around noon. Angie and I would not mind your company either.” His smile fell- not an indication of displeasure, but rather of a lack of need. Ib considered him for a moment more.

“I will not go without Garry,” Ib said, unwilling to move on this point. In the Inn, he was close, a single shout away should she really need him. There had been a time when she was unwilling to be out of Garry’s line of sight, but they have graduated, after a great deal of time and effort, to being within the same building. 

“He is the man with the purple hair, right?” Van cocked his head. “He is welcome to come around as well, I’m sure mother would not mind. She enjoys company.” Van pushed himself off of his chair then. “I need to go, mother will want to know Mrs. Colleen asked for her.” He left, as quietly and unobtrusively as he had entered.

Without company to hold her there, Ib headed back upstairs in as little of a rush as she could manage. She felt the shaking begin to get worse, and wished to get to Garry as soon as possible. To her surprise, he was still sleeping, and she happily curled herself into the bed beside him. He grumbled in his sleep, but apparently his exhaustion was worse than either had originally thought, as he did not wake. Instead, he curled an arm around Ib and the two cuddled together as Ib allowed herself to fall back to sleep.

She woke with a jerk and an instinctive need to find Garry. A whine, a shout curled in her throat but was stopped by her eyes recognizing the presence in front of her. Garry gave her a tense smile, and she relaxed against him. Garry was so steady, always there.

“Good morning, Ib,” he said, running a hand along her hair. 

“Afternoon,” Ib corrected. 

“Hmm?” Garry rubbed his eyes before finally looking at the clock. “Oh! Goodness me, is it that late already? We’ve really slept late.”

“I had lunch,” Ib told him, “one hour ago.”

“You didn’t wake me up?” he asked, looking at Ib in surprise. Usually, she did not go very far at all without him. It’s something he’s become used to, having a red-eyed shadow. Still, he’s proud that she managed to do so on her own, even if it was only so far as the ground floor.

“Garry was sleeping…” she muttered, curling closer. “A boy invited us to lunch whenever we want this week.”

“Oh? You talked to someone?” Garry asked, eyebrow raised. He ran a hand down her back, holding her close as she attempted to pull him to her. 

“Van,” she muttered, relaxing into Garry’s embrace. “He said he is curious about us.” Garry laughed at that. 

“They’re all curious about us, dearie. Still, there’s nothing wrong with seeing some of the people on the island. I believe we agreed to try and socialize.” he said. 

“He was wearing green. Like Mary,” Ib said. She didn’t need to say anything else. 

“Ib, wearing the color green does not necessarily mean that someone will be like Mary. I wear green sometimes, don’t I?” Garry spoke gently, trying to ease in comfort with the reasoning.

“Not Mary’s shade of green. Not the dark, dark green,” she disagreed, and Garry sighed.

“I suppose I haven’t. Dear me,” he muttered, his hand running down the length of her hair several times in silence while he thought. “Well, I doubt that he wears the same shade of green every day. Did he act like Mary did?”

Ib shook her head softly, her hand reaching up to clutch his nightshirt. “Too quiet. Too still.”

“Well, Mary would never have been still or quiet,” Garry huffed out a bit of a laugh. “Do you think we can give him a chance to prove that he’s not like Mary?”

Ib fidgeted, tugging lightly on his clothes. Garry pulled her closer, into a hug. “Here now, dearie, if it makes you so uncomfortable, we may start somewhere else first. I just worry. We couldn’t have known the truth of Mary just by the color of her dress. It’s not a warning sign my dear, though I know it seems it. We couldn’t have known,” he said, clutching her tightly and trying to keep his voice steady. “We couldn’t have known.”

She simply nodded, basking in the comfort of his presence. Her shaking had finally stopped. 

“Maybe we’ll go tomorrow, or the day after. Anyway, I’m hungry. Sit with me while I eat?” he asked, extending his hand to her. She didn’t respond, merely took his hand and followed him out of their room. 


End file.
